Posted on 03/23/2003 8:13:17 PM PST by Norm640
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States believes Russian technicians are helping Iraq (news - web sites) jam satellite signals that guide bombs and military aircraft even as US, British and Australian troops advance on Baghdad, a senior US official said.
The official said Washington had evidence that personnel from a Russian firm were in Iraq attempting to help set up and operate a system that interferes with US global positioning technology.
"The system is complex and there is evidence that they (Russian technicians) have been trying to bring this system on-line and help the Iraqis operate it," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"We are extremely upset and have raised this at very senior levels with the Russians," the official said.
The official stressed there was no indication that the Russian government was involved, but said Moscow had been "extremely unhelpful" in addressing US concerns.
The official said Washington had confronted the Moscow-based Aviaconversiya firm with allegations that it had sold the system and sent personnel to Iraq and had been met with denials.
On Sunday, the firm again denied the accusations, although it has admitted Baghdad had been interested in acquiring the goods.
"They are just making this up," said Oleg Antonov, the director of Aviaconversiya. "Let them capture one of our personnel.
"They won't find any of our technicians in Iraq," he told AFP in Moscow. "The Americans are trying to find a scapegoat because their bombs are not falling as accurately as they want."
The senior US official said however that US intelligence had been able to match an electronic signal emitted by the system in Iraq specifically to the system sold by the Russian firm.
"It emits a signal that is specific to the equipment of this Aviaconversiya company and our intelligence people have been able to identify it," the official said.
The official confirmed a Washington Post report that said complaints about the sales of jamming devices by the firm had begun in June 2002.
At the time, however, the official said the Russians denied the company even existed despite the fact that it maintained an Internet site and was the subject of extensive media coverage in Russia.
"It was ridiculous, but now it's gone beyond that," the official said. "It is grotesque."
The Post story said two other Russian firms were selling weapons to Iraq in violation of UN sanctions -- but had declined to discuss specifics.
The State Department said it had repeatedly brought sales of "militarily sensitive equipment" to Iraq to the attention of senior officials in Moscow, including in the days leading up to the war, but had not received a satisfactory response.
"Such equipment in the hands if the Iraqi military may pose a direct threat to US and coalition armed forces," said Brenda Greenberg, a department spokeswoman.
"We regard this as a very serious matter," she said. "We thus have raised this issue with the Russian government a number of times, including at senior levels and particularly over the past two weeks.
"Their response so far has not been satisfactory," Greenberg said. "We hope that the responsible Russian agencies will take our concerns seriously."
Protests over the Aviaconversiya sales and assistance to Iraq intensified earlier this month when Russian Ambassador Yuri Ushakov was summoned to the State Department, the senior official said.
The official said the last complaint was made on Saturday to the Russian foreign ministry.
And, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said it might not be the last time the Russians heard US protests on the subject.
"I have to say at this point we don't think we've gotten satifactory answers, but we will continue to pursue that," Boucher told Al-Jazeera television.
Washington has also protested transactions by two other Russian firms; one of which has sold anti-tank missiles and another that sold thousands of night-vision goggles to Iraq, the official said.
The latest of those transfers are believed to have occured as recently as February, the official added.
The Post reported that last month, US officials learned that an Iraqi order for night vision goggles was due to be shipped by a Russian firm and asked Moscow to halt it.
Russian officials replied by saying either that a few goggles had been given as gifts to Middle Eastern leaders or that it was the weekend and nothing could be done, the paper said, citing unidentified sources.
In addition, over the past two months, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s government has boosted its procurement of Kornet anti-tank missiles made by a Russian company named KBP Tula, the Post said.
The company was hit with US sanctions last year for selling similar weapons to Syria.
It's always SSDD in Russia, no matter the dressed up facade of morality and democracy. What a waste. Yes, they're great at denying a lot of things. Remember 1962? "Missiles off Cuba, comrade? No, no, no--that's kooky talk."
When is the world going to wake up and realize that Russia and China are arming the rest of the world? They are not--nor ever will be--our "allies". They, in partnership with the French (who are socialists) are using the UN veto as a weapon as no other country ever has--and at the same time hypocritically calling this war "illegal".
Yes, keeping the status quo in Iraq--chem weapons, Stalinist dictator, oppressed people--that's not illegal. Actually, it probably reminds the Ruskies of the good ole days.
There will be more to come--nothing, and I mean nothing, has changed.
In the Military there are "Military Assistance Groups" which perform this function in coordination with the Ambassador of the Nation, the American Military commander for area, and the sales representatives from the company - all in conjunction with the (if in the case of allied nation, the company, military and political leadership/busienss owners of the industry) to sign the deal. Of course, military experts from each branch of service are present to both make sure everyone understands the usage of the equipment being discussed.
In every instance, there is full knowledge between every level of National government, the Head of the Political/State Dept Folks, the Industry/Business owner and the military.
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